Eight: Slow Progress

Jonah smiled as he approached Oasis Springs General Hospital for the first time.

He ran into some colleague in a scrub cap (he promptly forgot the name) who gave him the briefest of tours which ended with him outside an administrative office.  Two hours of paperwork and other niceties, like being assigned a locker, and Jonah's head was swimming slightly.  Having survived medical school and an internship this feeling was not entirely unfamiliar to him.

By the end of his first week, Jonah was no longer smiling.  If he thought he'd be treating patients and doing good he was sadly disappointed.  He did a lot of standing around, asking questions and answering queries that were fired at him like some sort of test.  Somehow whenever he tried to approach a patient, there was always someone else there to intervene.  The staff at OSGH didn't seem to trust him.  At one point he was even commandeered to assist with the cleaning of a minor flood.  It was difficult for him not to curse as he found himself wielding a mop.

Later, 27 hours into another 40 hour work week, Jonah mused that if he didn't really know any names yet at least he knew where the coffee was.

During one of his stints at home, Jonah began drifting off during a chess game with Ana.  A very important game it was too, because Ana had never won any of their childhood or high school matches. 
"Earth to Jonah.  Are you there Jonah?"  Ana intoned.
"Huh?"
"It's your move."  Jonah put on a fake look of intense concentration to distract from the fact that he was unfocused.
About six moves later.
"Checkmate" Ana crowed.

About three months later, Jonah was a least able to talk to patients.  Even if sometimes this conversation consisted of asking 'How is lunch? Are you comfortable?'
He was learning rapidly from the senior residents and slowly being trusted with more responsibility.

Ana got fitted for her spacesuit and even went on her first mission to the International Space Station.
It wasn't blazing trails and 'boldly going' but it was a start.

Alex was a frequent visitor to the new house.  One evening Ana had him cornered in her room.  He was nervous about touching her; but Ana was having no more of that.

"It's getting late.." Alex began, though it was clear he was torn and his heart wasn't in his words.

"Don't rush off." Ana said firmly. "There's a bed there big enough for both of us."

A moment of silence, which Ana took for acquiescence.

"And" Ana put a hand on Alex's chest "No more of this polite, gentlemanly business; take off your clothes."

With a small gulp, a grinning and still silent Alex complied.

"But don't forget to look in that drawer there."